University of Tennessee Health Science Center
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Squaring the Circle Through Outreach: Building Student Engagement from Scratch
Get PDFOBJECTIVE The Library works with campus and community partners in order to make a positive impact on students, campus, and community. This poster describes a year of student events and engagement, the challenges and insights from those events, and the collective impact they have had on meeting student needs, increasing library visibility on campus, and enhancing communications between students and the library.
METHODS Needs assessment survey was conducted in Fall 2018 to measure what students would most like from the Library. Adjacently, the Library executed a number of events at varying times of year to engage the students such as Cookies & Cram, Pi Day, Fuel Your Brain for Finals, and Fridays in the Park.
RESULTS These Library events reached 675 students (approximately 23% of student body). The data from the student satisfaction survey indicated that the Library is meeting student needs in engagement and activity. This indication is reiterated by students’ positive feedback after every event.
CONCLUSIONS This year, student engagement was a success. Students indicated being positively impacted by the events coordinated by the Library. The Library intends to continue to meet student needs, increase library visibility on campus, and enhance communication between the library and students. In the future, consideration will be taken towards overlapping schedules of students
Collaboration Picnic: Developing and Maintaining a Growing Network of Research Partners Across the United States for Successful Research Production
Get PDFObjective: The objective of this study was to highlight and document the ways that collaboration, specifically across great geographic and institutional differences, can be an asset when engaging in research in health sciences librarianship.
Methods: Impact and success were measured through formal outcomes (publications/presentations) and informal observations, primarily focusing on the collaboration experiences of two health sciences librarians in non-health sciences academic libraries. The history of collaboration spans from 2015-present day and includes demonstrated outcomes on the local, regional, and national level.
Results: The results of this study of collaboration demonstrate that long-term research collaborations across geographic and institutional boundaries can be productive and lead to outcomes related to publishing opportunities, institutional knowledge, and network-building. The study also provides insights in being an effective collaborator that can be applied internally and externally, including tips for successful interpersonal interactions, technology use, and building a cohesive research team.
Conclusions: In conclusion, this study demonstrates the benefits of forming collaborative research partnerships that are not limited by geographic location or institution type, and documents experiences and tips that other librarians can utilize when forming their own research collaborations
Injectable Systems for Long-Lasting Insulin Therapy
Get PDFDiabetes mellitus is one of the major global health problems and the prevalence rate is ever increasing reaching to 48% increase by the year of 2040 causing significant economic burdens. Insulin therapy has been the mainstay of diabetes treatment since its discovery in 1922. However, insulin is an unstable peptide with a half-life of only 4-6 min which poses significant challenge in prolonging duration of action of insulin. Nevertheless, the advances in recombinant DNA technology and protein engineering have enabled the development of several long-acting insulin analogue products which show duration of action up to 42 h. However, these insulin analogues still require once- or twice-daily injections for optimal glycemic control resulting in poor compliance and adherence issues among patients. To achieve insulin release for more than one day, different injectable delivery systems including microspheres, in situ forming depots, nanoparticles and composite systems have been developed for sustained release of insulin for days to weeks in in vitro and preclinical studies. Several of these delivery systems have further advanced to clinical trials for once-weekly insulin injection to treat diabetes. Although a number of review articles have appeared in the literature to discuss the developments of long-acting insulin analogues and sustained release insulin delivery systems, none of them comprehensively cover the whole area starting all the way from prototype design and preclinical studies to clinical trials and marketed products. The scope of this review is to fill in the gap and comprehensively summarize the developments of injectable insulin analogues and delivery systems for long-term glycemic control and improved patient compliance
Experimental evidence supportive of the quantum DNA model
Get PDFThe DNA molecule can be modeled as a quantum logic processor in which electron spin qubits are held coherently in each nucleotide in a logically and thermodynamically reversible enantiomeric symmetry, and can be coherently conducted along the pi-stacking interactions of aromatic nucleotide bases, while simultaneously being spin-filtered via the helicity of the DNA molecule. Entangled electron pairs can be separated by that spin-filtering, held coherently at biological temperatures in the topologically insulated nucleotide quantum gates, and incorporated into separate DNA strands during DNA replication. Two separate DNA strands that share quantum entangled electrons can be mitotically divided into individual cells, and thus into two individual cell cultures. Initial experiments to validate the quantum DNA model have shown correlations in the depolarizations between separated cloned neuronal cell cultures, and additional investigations are indicated for further validation
Investigation of Cell-Type-Specific Effects and Synergistic Interactions Between Genes in Duplication 15q Syndrome
Get PDFDuplication 15q syndrome (Dup15q) is a genetic disorder caused by duplications of the 15q11.2-q13.1 region and is characterized by developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, and treatment resistant epilepsy. Extra copies of the E3 ubiquitin ligase UBE3A and elevated levels of UBE3A expression in neurons are thought to be the primary cause of Dup15q phenotypes. However, animal models overexpressing UBE3A in neurons have not successfully recapitulated all aspects of Dup15q syndrome, especially epilepsy. Here, we used Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) to investigate Dup15q syndrome. In Chapter 2 we explored whether Dube3a, the Drosophila homolog of UBE3A, is imprinted in the fly brain. In mammals, UBE3A undergoes complex imprinting and is expressed only from the maternal allele in mature neurons. Prior to this work the imprinting status of Dube3a in flies was unclear. Here, we present evidence that Dube3a is not imprinted and is biallelically expressed in the fly. Next, in Chapter 3 we examined the interaction between Dube3a and HERC2. HERC2 is also an E3 ubiquitin ligase located in the 15q11.2-q13.1 critical region and is duplicated in all Dup15q individuals. HERC2 physically interacts with and stimulates the ubiquitin ligase activity of UBE3A in vitro. We found that Drosophila HERC2 appears to stimulate the ubiquitin ligase function of Dube3a, and Dube3a and HERC2 interact synergistically to impact phenotypes associated with Dup15q syndrome in vivo. Data presented in Chapter 3 suggests that genes other than UBE3A are important in generating the Dup15q phenotypes and should not be ignored when modeling Dup15q syndrome. In Chapter 4 we investigated how non-neuronal cells, specifically glial cells, contribute to the seizure phenotype of Dup15q syndrome. We found that elevated levels of Dube3a or UBE3A in glia causes seizures, while overexpression in neurons does not. These data are consistent with mammalian models in which UBE3A elevation in neurons does not generate seizures. Furthermore, overexpression of Dube3a in glia reduced protein levels of the Na+/K+ ATPase, ATPα. ATPα down regulation in glia is both necessary and sufficient to generate seizures. In Chapter 5 we further characterized our Dup15q epilepsy model and investigated cell type specific effects of Dube3a overexpression in glia compared to neurons using whole transcriptome and whole proteome analyses. We found that elevation of Dube3a in glia caused a cell non-autonomous down regulation of synaptic proteins in neurons while simultaneously causing a cell autonomous upregulation of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) in glial cells. Finally, we showed that the upregulation of GSTs is common to multiple different Drosophila gliopathic seizure lines, not just our Dup15q epilepsy model. GSTs play a role in drug metabolism, and elevation of these enzymes may underlie the treatment resistant nature of some epilepsies including Dup15q syndrome. The results from these studies highlight the role that glial cell dysfunction may play in generating seizures in Dup15q syndrome and could ultimately provide novel avenues for epilepsy treatments
The Effect of Motor Responses Versus Verbal Responses on Sound Localization Accuracy in Young Children with Normal Hearing
Get PDFRationale. Sound localization is the ability to pinpoint the origin of a sound source within an auditory space. This ability is essential for safety, orientation, and communication. Poor sound localization abilities, especially in young children, can have a negative impact on academics and safety. This issue is exacerbated when there is a hearing loss. Young children do not localize as well as adults until age 6 or older. Data regarding sound localization accuracy in preschoolers and young children have been sparse. Recently, with the increasing numbers of cochlear implantation (especially in children) there have been more studies investigating sound localization in children. However, these studies mainly focused on children with hearing impairments. Most of them included children with normal hearing only as a reference or for comparison. Similarities and/or differences in sound source localization accuracy between children who are hearing impaired and those with normal hearing were investigated but the mode(s) of response were not regulated or examined. The literature presents localization accuracy ranges for young children with normal hearing but does not offer any knowledge regarding the effect of various response modes on sound localization accuracy. Younger children with normal hearing show greater localization error than older children with normal hearing. This suggests that the auditory system in younger children is still maturing. There is a need to investigate sound source localization accuracy in young children with normal hearing in order to identify factors that may facilitate this skill. This study explored the effect of a motor (movement) response on sound source localization accuracy compared to the traditional verbal response. The purpose was to identify any actors that could enhance sound source localization accuracy in children who have normal hearing in order to gain insight regarding possible auditory training strategies that could be effective in building sound source localization skills especially in children with hearing impairments and/or less mature auditory systems. It was proposed that embodiment, the incorporation of the body through motor movements within the auditory environment, could facilitate auditory spatial mapping and thus yield better sound localization accuracy. Methods. Sound localization accuracy was examined in young children, aged 3 and 5 years old, with normal hearing. Each participant in both age groups was randomly divided into two groups by response modes (verbal or motor) and asked to localize a sound source using that mode. The sound localization task was then repeated using only the verbal response mode. Testing occurred in a sound booth containing a semi-circular array of 15 loudspeakers placed at 10o intervals along the frontal horizontal plane from - 70o (left) to +70o (right) azimuth. There was a small child-friendly picture attached underneath each loudspeaker for sound source identification purposes. The stimulus was the speech spondee “baseball”. Participants either sat in a chair and verbally stated the location of the origin of the sound by naming the picture underneath the corresponding loudspeaker (verbal response) or by walking over and touching/pointing to the loudspeaker/picture from which the sound originated (motor response). There were seven (7) sound source (target) locations, with a total of five (5) trials randomly presented from each target loudspeaker for a total of 35 trials per task. There were two blocks of trials (tasks). Results. Sound localization accuracy was quantified using the root-mean-square error measure. Data was analyzed using the Generalized Estimating Equations – Robust Estimator statistical method. There was a statistically significant main effect for age, with the 5-year-olds showing better performance overall. There was not a significant main effect for mode of response or task order. There was however a significant interaction for age*mode*order. The 3-year-old Verbal 1st Group showed significantly better accuracy for the second sound localization task. The 5-year-old Motor 1st Group showed significantly worse accuracy for the second sound localization task in which they had to provide a verbal response. Conclusions. Performance improved when the same response mode was used for both sound localization tasks but was degraded when the sound localization task was repeated using a different response mode. The initial motor responses did not facilitate auditory spatial mapping. This could be due to immature auditory pathway development and/or the increased cognitive strain of trying to break the memory pattern formed by the initial motor responses in order to transition to the verbal responses required during the second task. The results showed that children do not perform well when asked to change their mode of response when learning a new skill. Using the same mode of response twice emphasized the benefit of practice and repetition. Practice and repetition may be a more effective training technique than response mode for skill building especially for those who have difficulty with sound localization
Leisurely Reshaping a Consumer Health Book Collection
Get PDFObjective: To discover whether adding leisure books, according to a carefully designed collection development policy, to a consumer health collection (CHC) in a hospital would lead to an increase in usage of the CHC collection, an increased number of monthly subscriptions for membership in the Health Information Center (HIC), and change in the subject of materials circulated.
Methods: The collection development policy, specifically for the Leisure Reading Collection (LRC), included bestselling titles within 3 years, award winning fiction, and classics. Librarians also set criteria with clear parameters related to gifts, donations, and collection maintenance. Twenty-four books were selected for the leisure collection in July 2018. After the addition of the LRC, the new circulation numbers were compared to previous data. Staff also measured the number of new applications for monthly membership in the Health Information Center by consumers. The subject content of materials most used prior to the addition of the LRC were compared to the most popular titles post LRC.
Results: There has been a 44% increase in books checked out from 2017 to 2018. Monthly memberships have also increased, averaging 18 new members per month compared to 15. The CHC titles most frequently checked out prior to the initiation of the LRC were related to diet and nutrition. After the LRC, the most popular CHC titles were related to nutrition and stress/anxiety. Library staff informally observed the increased use of the LRC by hospital staff. Staff came to the library to check out books for their patients from the LRC. Staff also offered gifts of materials that the collection policy excluded (alternative donation sites were offered.) Attempts to quantify the number of staff using the materials through use of circulation statistics failed due to system limitations. Further research is planned to measure staff participation.
Conclusion: With the addition of leisure reading books, the library provided a more valuable and comprehensive collection to its patron base. Changes in the subject material of circulated items, as a result of the LRC were small but worthy of consideration. This addition to the HIC collection has led to a rise in new members, an increase in circulation statistics, and has expanded staff interest in the HIC
Squaring an Open Circle: Trends and Opportunities in Open Access Publishing, Promotion, and Impact
Get PDFThis poster will examine the trends surrounding scholarly communications amongst faculty authors at UTHSC to determine prevalence of Open Access (OA) publishing in order to formulate a strategy for the library to reallocate services and funds to meet the changing needs of the Library’s users. Using bibliographic analysis and citation analysis for the prior 10 years (2009-2018), we hope to discover the following: the trend with respect to OA publishing amongst UTHSC faculty including the difference between Gold OA and Green OA; the specific journals in which UTHSC faculty choose to publish; and, the impact of OA publishing versus traditional models with respect to citations. Using filters built into the Web of Science database, the authors were able to isolate OA articles authored by UTHSC affiliated faculty. Citations in which a UTHSC affiliated author is listed as the corresponding author were included in the OA results. The resulting citations were grouped by year of publication and Gold/Green OA to determine potential growth trends. Further, Gold OA results were filtered by journal title to determine in which journals faculty were publishing. Finally, the OA output was compared with non-OA results from the same period to determine what, if any, impact OA had on impact of the scholarship with respect to citations
Shaping the Future of Information Literacy Research by Health Sciences Librarians: A Bibliometric Study
Get PDFObjectives: Information literacy (IL) publications have been examined in many disciplines, but there is limited published literature to assess health sciences librarians’ productivity on IL research. This study aimed to examine the status and characteristics of IL research authored by health sciences librarians over the period of 2008 to 2018.
Methods: Bibliometrics, the statistical analysis of publications, was used to assess the indicators of productivity, collaboration, and visibility on IL research by health sciences librarians. Data was collected from Scopus and Web of Science. EndNote software was used to remove duplicates and Rayyan was used to systematically screen search results for inclusion. Quantitative analysis was performed, examining the number of publications per year, the most prolific authors and their affiliations, most prolific journals, the origin of the first author’s country, etc.
Results: Of the 3,387 search results, 479 (14.8%) unique articles met the inclusion criteria of being authored by health sciences librarians. Study results showed that the number of included publications increased 12% each year on average with the peak in 2016 (n=62). Health Information and Libraries Journal was the most prolific journal that published IL studies in the domain of health sciences librarianship. However, the most highly cited article was published in the Journal of the Medical Library Association. In terms of visibility, 373 (78%) articles have been cited at least once. Authors were highly collaborative with a collaboration index of 2.8.
Conclusions: Over the ten-year period, the volume of IL literature authored by health sciences librarians has increased. Health sciences librarian researchers tend to publish in health sciences library journals. This study shapes the future for health sciences librarians on IL publication practices. Further research might be needed to examine differences in IL publication characteristics after the implementation of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy
Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Practice: Possibilities for Research Collaboration and Funding
Get PDFPreparing a successful small grant proposal involves research, planning, preparation, and determination, but obtaining funding for a creative project is not unrealistic. Practitioners are in the trenches on a daily basis, and many likely have novel ideas and relevant questions, especially when it comes to interventions. These intervention questions are important, with the American Occupational Therapy Association reporting that more studies are needed to investigate and support occupation-based intervention. By developing partnerships, educators, practitioners, and students can engage in small scale projects to further the knowledge base in the field of occupational therapy